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Another Republican, Another Private Fundraiser, Another Perfect Storm for Controversy!

Tempest fugit (Time Flies)! Yesterday was another significant milestone in the life and development of “Break It Down!” I initiated this blogAugust 20, 2007, on a lark…almost a dare. That was Six years (and 320 editions) ago. Having related the story several times over the past several years, I will not repeat the complete details today.

I will note that on that summer’s eve, I contemplated, in five paragraphs, the experience, in reality the lack thereof, of then Senator Barack Obama, as he navigated the early stages of his historic Presidential Campaign. The prodigiousparameters of that history were not evident at the time. To be sure, over the next 14 ½ months, he bested the odds and won not only the Democratic Nomination, but also the Presidency. In so doing, my lack of conviction, along with that of many others, in Mr. Obama’s ability to claim the nation’s biggest political prize exposed for what it was; a patentlyerrant assessment.

Briefly, before moving on to the gist of today’s topic, I want to make one more note about the blog. In addition to this week marking the Sixth Anniversary of Break It Down, this week’s post commemorates the One-year Anniversary of my using WordPressas my primary Host Site. The link, http://TheSphinxofCharlotte.com is simpler and more straightforward than the Blogger (Blogspot) link, http://TheSphinxofCharlotte.blogspot.com. The site design and presentation at Word Press is cleaner, less busy than the one at Blogger. Please note, I may migrate Break It Down exclusively to WordPress, the blog remains available at both sites for the foreseeable future.

Moving on to the topic du jour, Maine’s Republican Governor, Paul LePage, has denied he said President Obama hates white people. According to reports in the Portland Press Herald and the Bangor Daily News, two GOP lawmakers from Maine, and one unnamed source in attendance, confirmed the Governor made the comments a private political fundraiser. If the setting sounds familiar, it may be because it sounds a lot like the environment that served as the launch pad for Governor Romney’s now infamous 47% comments.

Imagine if some interloper had not taped those remarks. Would Presidential candidate Romney ever have conceded he said that? It is doubtful. It is possible that those comments changed the trajectory of the campaign. In retrospect, isn’t it funny how no one ever accused Mr. Romney of being an “Angry White Man?” Alas, I digress. The reality is it is not surprising that Governor LePage has declined to take ownership of his alleged colorful commentary. Can you blame him? Really?

Two of the Governor’s fellow Republican lawmakers confirmed Mr. LePage made the comments, but asked that the paper withhold their names, out of fear of retribution. Would His Honor really do something like that? I will let you be the judge of that.

I do not know, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the Governor said what his colleagues-in-arms say he did. Moreover, to be fair, there are people who were present at the event who say they did not hear him say it.

In constructing and presenting a defense for the Governor, also known as the official response, Brent Littlefield issued a statement that suggested it was farfetched for anyone to insinuate the Governor is racist, given his life history…a history that, according to the Mr. Littlefield’s statement, includes caring for Devon Raymond, Jr., a Jamaican who attended high school in Maine. The statement also referenced the Governor’s years of attending the Martin Luther King, Jr.Breakfast.

After just reading that, I find the accusation stunning. I mean, how much more conclusive could evidence possibly be? Well, without rushing to judgment, it may be worth noting that Governor LePage has made a few controversial statements in his time. Earlier this month, he “joked” that he wanted to blow up the headquarters of the Press Herald.

According to the Sunlight Foundation, thepaper’s majority owner, billionaire Donald Sussman, is a major donor to Democratic Super PAC’s in 2012, and over the years. Mr. Sussman is married to Maine Democrat, Rep. Chellie Pingree.

In June, the Governor made a crude sexual reference having to do with Vaseline (or the lack thereof), when speaking of a Democratic lawmaker. Last year, he referred to the Internal Revenue Service as the “Gestapo,” in his weekly Radio Address. In other words, even while not rushing to judgment, the alleged sequence of events is conceivable.

If Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or any of the Fox News analysts claim President Obama hates white people, it really is not a story. The typical response is those men do not operate as the Party’s “thought leaders.” In other words, the people did not elect them. This is true, so I say, meet Paul LePage!

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